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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

"No Added Sugar" Challenge Update

My choice of dessert for lunch has been a sweet apple.

My friends and I are halfway through our challenge! We have been at it for three weeks. We meet every Tuesday for a lunch check-in meeting in which we bring our own food. Have we been perfect? Absolutely not. We all have all unofficially allowed ourselves one cheat day per week. Well, all but one. However, in the big scheme of things, my friends have been doing so well. I am proud of each of them.

For Shani, who loves to eat sweets throughout the day all day long, the progress and success she is making comes in the area of decreased amounts of sugary foods per day. She has stayed away from the doughnuts, etc, but has allowed herself to have frozen yogurt with her nephew and niece on her recent vacation. This is a far cry from where she started.

For Danelle, sugary drinks has been "her thing". Through this challenge, it made her realize how many times she goes to Starbucks previously. It was just a habit for her to go always without really thinking about it. Now she has cut way back and is hardly going. She is also realizing she is saving money! Danelle has found other alternatives of drinks, such as unsweetened teas, that taste good to her.

The group in general has become aware of how easy they all take in a sweet here and there without being mindful of what they are doing. This challenge has brought awareness to each of them. Again, no one has been perfect through this journey so far, but there is progress in decreasing everyone's sugar threshold for taste and crave. That is taking place slowly, but surely. The real challenge will be to continue the current behavior beyond the end of this "challenge".******How are you doing with your sweets intake?